Chapter 2
On the day I had to submit my college applications, my mom brought the laptop into my room. "You sure about this?"
"Yeah, I'm sure," I replied.
The page read: [First choice: Computer Science, Techbridge University.
[Second choice: Software Engineering, Techbridge University.
[Third choice: Information Security, Techbridge University.]
My mom stood by, watching me, but didn't say a word.
My dad poked his head out from the kitchen. "Riverstone's awesome. The BBQ on Moriaen Avenue is legendary."
My mom shot him a look.
Just then, my mom's phone rang. It was Jack's mom calling.
My mom picked up.
Jack's mom's voice came through loud and clear. "Mrs. Rivers, Jack's going to Liabrenn Transit University. Wouldn't it be nice if Sophie applied to a school in Liabrenn too? The two kids could go together."
I glanced at my mom.
My mom replied, "Sorry, but Sophie's already set on a school in Riverstone."
There was a brief pause, then Jack's mom's tone changed. "Riverstone? Seriously? With Sophie's scores, she could easily get into a top school in Liabrenn.
"Isn't that a waste? Did she and Jack have a fight or something? You really shouldn't let kids make these decisions on their own."
"That's all. I'm hanging up now," my mom said and ended the call.
I hit submit.
[Submitted successfully.] I stared at those words on the screen.
Back then, I'd applied to a regular local college, majoring in Gilianish. For the next ten years, I regretted it every single day.
But this time, I would not repeat the same mistake.
Three days after I submitted my application, my mom started looking for a moving company.
My dad started calling around for apartments in Riverstone, wanting to rent somewhere close to campus so I wouldn't have to travel much.
I told them I'd stay in the dorm.
But my mom said, "Dorm? Forget it. The three of us are moving to Riverstone together."
I said, "You don't need to do all this for—"
My mom cut me off, "Who said we're doing it for you? I've always wanted to open a seafood stew place. And your dad's been craving BBQ forever. Now he can eat them every day."
My dad nodded like crazy.
On moving day, we didn't have much to pack.
I stood outside, looking up at the old house I'd called home for eighteen years.
On the sixth floor, the flower pots on the balcony were still there.
Aubrey, our neighbor, hurried over and grabbed my hand. "Sophie, why are you moving all of a sudden? Did you and Jack have a fight or something?"
"No. He said he hated me in front of everyone," I replied.
Aubrey's mouth opened, then closed again.
As the moving truck rumbled to life, a figure dashed out from the neighborhood gate.
It was Jack.
He was running so fast that one of his flip-flops flew off.
He stopped right in front of the truck, panting hard. "You're moving?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"Where to?"
"Riverstone."
"Why?"
"None of your business."
"Sophie, listen to me. About what happened that day—" he tried to explain.
"Jack," I cut him off. "You said you hated me in front of everyone. I heard it. It doesn't matter why. You said it, and that's all that matters."
"But—"
"No buts."
I climbed into the car.
As we pulled away, he slapped the window, shouting something, but the wind drowned it out.
In the rearview mirror, I saw him chase after us for a few steps, then stop and sink to the ground.
My mom sat beside me, holding my hand.
My dad set the GPS. Our destination was Riverstone.
Later, Aubrey called to say Jack had stood outside our old house all night.
The next day, he came down with a high fever and ended up in the hospital.
My mom listened, then glanced at me.
I was out on the balcony, staring at Riverstone's sky. It was gray and hazy, with the faint outline of mountains in the distance.
"None of my business," I said.
My mom didn't say anything else.
*****
Summer in Riverstone wasn't sticky like the southern cities. It hit us with pure heat.
July found me on Moriaen Avenue, munching on ice cream while a guy next to me gnawed on BBQ, his lips shining with grease.
My dad decided to give it a shot, but the spice hit him so hard that he teared up instantly.
My mom was doubled over, cracking up.
Our new place was right by Techbridge University. It was a two-bedroom apartment. Downstairs, there was a breakfast shop run by a local lady whose booming voice could drown out my mom.
"Sophie, what are you having today?" she hollered.
"Two pies," I called back.
"Coming right up," she replied.
Life settled into a steady rhythm.
I'd go for a run in the morning, grab breakfast, then dive into my programming books.
In my previous life, it took me three years of teaching myself Python before I finally landed my first developer job.
But now, all that knowledge and ten years of coding experience were crammed into my eighteen-year-old head.
I started from scratch with the C Programming Language, spending ten hours a day on it and never feeling tired.
My mom signed me up for a Gilianish class. "You'll need it for study abroad in college, so better get a head start."
"Mom, I just finished the SATs," I replied.
"Time waits for no one. Look at Jack—" She stopped herself.
I turned the page, not looking up.
Jack's name was basically banned in our house now.
But some people didn't disappear, no matter how much I tried to ignore them.
The next week, I got a text from an unknown number. [I know you're in Riverstone. Tell me which school you're at.]
I didn't reply and blocked the number.
In the third week, another unknown number popped up. [Sophie, you can't ignore me forever.]
I blocked the number again.
By the fourth week, he tried messaging me on WhatsApp using a new account.
His profile pic was blank, and his display name read LetMeExplain.
I took a screenshot and sent it to my mom.
My mom said, "Is he nuts or what?"
"Maybe," I replied.
I blocked him.
By August, my acceptance letter finally arrived.
I got accepted into Techbridge University's computer science program.
My mom took a dozen photos of the letter and posted them on her feed, captioning them: [My daughter makes me so proud.]
My dad also posted a pic of himself eating seafood stew in Riverstone, with the caption: [Thanks to my daughter, I finally get to eat Riverstone seafood stew.]
An hour later, Jack's mom commented on my mom's post: [Congrats. Jack's off to Liabrenn Transit University. Hope the kids stay in touch.]
My mom deleted the comment. Then she blocked Jack's mom.
My dad glanced over and said, "Man, your mom's got a temper."
My mom replied, "Sophie was humiliated in front of everyone, and you think I'm going to be nice to his family? In your dreams."
My dad gave her a thumbs-up.
The day before school started, I packed my bags.
I took my laptop, programming books, a few changes of clothes, and a notebook with me.
On the first page of the notebook, I wrote: [To-Do List for 2014:
[1. Win a scholarship in freshman year.
[2. Join the International Coding Challenge.
[3. Create my first app prototype.]
These were the goals that took me ten years to reach in my previous life. This time, I had four years to make it happen.